Vt. health reform on track with election results

It's full steam ahead for Vermont's push to move the state as close as possible to single-payer health care by 2017.

That word from senior state officials involved in health care reform and it follows the re-election of Gov. Peter Shumlin and the main backer of the federal Affordable Care Act, President Barack Obama.

Both Robin Lunge, the state's director of health care reform, and Anya Rader Wallach, chairwoman of the Vermont Green Mountain Care Board, say Vermont likely would have pushed ahead with some form of its plan even if Obama had lost the election and the federal law were placed in jeopardy.

But they say the election results bring more certainty that federal funding will be available to support the state's reform efforts.